About Us
At Montagna del Mare
Montagna del Mare, meaning “mountain of the sea” in Italian, sits in the upper northwest part of beautiful Washington State. With views of Mt. Baker in the east and Bellingham Bay to the west, this is a great place to breed and raise dogs. Our goal is to properly breed and develop the Lagotto Romagnolo (pronounced lag-oh-toe roman-yolo) and share with others what a wonderful breed this is. Our commitment in breeding only quality animals is stronger than ever. Here is a little about us.
Lagotto Romagnolo pronounced:
lag-oh-toe roman-yolo
Meet the Breeders
THERESE WILLIAMS
Breeder | Trainer | Health & Nutrition Advisor
Therese is the one who started this love affair with the Lagotto. She has had dogs her whole life and has done several types of training with them, from general obedience, to agility and doggie free-style dancing and targeted training. With her Silky Terrier getting very old and slowing down, she knew the day would come when “Winston” would be gone and she would want a new dog in her life. She saw a photo of a Lagotto on a calendar and thinking she knew most breeds of dogs, was surprised she had never heard of the Lagotto Romagnolo. The research began and in June 2005, she welcomed Romakome’s Lieto Guido from a Netherlands breeder into her life. While Guido passed away in 2019, he sired two lovely litters and also earned his IABCA International Championship.
In 2006, Therese became connected with more Lagotto owners through a Yahoo Group, and through this association, a small group formed and the Lagotto Club of America formed. Therese has been very active with this group since it began and is proud to be a founding member, past Board member and now the Chair of the Breed Health Committee. It is the work of the Board and club members that have assisted the Lagotto Romagnolo to further advance and the Lagotto Romagnolo is now fully recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC).
Therese is now retired from her “regular” job as an Associate Dean of a small college. While managing and building other educational programs, she also taught several classes. Her other background was as a volunteer firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician from which she is also retired.
DAN WILLIAMS
Breeder | Daily Activities | Medical Advisor
Dan plays an active role in the breeding program and helps with the daily activities of keeping them clean, fed and socialized. You can often find him in the backyard throwing the ball for hours, or having one, two or even three dogs cuddled with him on the couch. Dan shares a love of animals and is the rock that helps move the program forward and is a great support system for Therese.
Dan has a strong background in science and medicine, and that is the part of breeding Dan finds most interesting. He was a combat medic in the Army during the Viet Nam conflict, an Emergency Medical Technician and Licensed Practical Nurse. After 50 years of employment in the petroleum industry, he retired. He was also on the same volunteer fire department with Therese and retired. Dan now says that he has the time to be more help with the dogs and all the work that entails.
Dan and Therese have been together for over thirty years and have built a dog friendly home with room to run. We do accept visitors by appointment.
“a matchmaker!”
“Therese Williams is a matchmaker! She nudged us toward our beautiful and gentle Skylark, perfect in size and temperament. A year later we returned with a daughter and young granddaughter and watched Therese make a match with the handsome, energetic Taco (AKA Checkers). Amazing dogs, happy families.”
“breeder was outstanding!“
“The total experience with this breeder was outstanding! On the initial visit,one could observe the clean,secure,and loving environment. The dogs lived in a paradise.Upon Marco’s birth, we have been given our choice of puppy. Since his arrival home, the breeder has remained a ready source of information and thoughtful caring. One could not ask for a more outstanding dog purchase.”
“wonderful disposition“
“We are in love with our dog, Charlie. He is now 5 years old and remains a very important part of our family. He has such a wonderful disposition and we are so pleased with our decision to purchase a puppy from Therese.”
Puppy Culture Program
High-quality
Our puppies are raised in the home, are fed a high-quality diet and we follow the Puppy Culture Program for proper socialization and training.
Lagotto Romagnolo Club of America
Fully tested
All puppy parents are fully health tested per the requirements outlined in the Code of Ethics for the Lagotto Romagnolo Club of America.